PWC observes protest day against privatization

Karachi: Pakistan Worker Confederation (PWC) observed a ‘protest day’ against the anti-labour policies of International Monetary Fund (IMF), plan to privatize state-owned entities and anti-labour steps of the sitting government in different cities of the country on Wednesday.

The protest day was observed in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad, Multan, Rawalpindi, Hub, Sukkur, Larkana and other cities.

In Karachi a protest demo and rally was held in front of Karachi Press Club (KPC) led by central leaders of PWC Jalil Shah, Nasir Mansoor, Rafiq Baloch, Zehra Akber Khan, Mehboob-ur-Rehman Khan and Mirza Khurshid Baig.

The labour leaders charged that present government has mortgaged Pakistan to the IMF. The government bent to start privatization plan and a list of 34 state-owned entities has been finalized in this regard. They warned in case of the proposed privatization thousands of labours will be rendered jobless and new economic and social crisis will engulf Pakistan.

The regretted that labours are deprived from basic facilities in private organizations and their wages are also low. They warned the government that millions of labours of Pakistan resist any its anti-worker policies.

They condemned the government for not giving representation to workers in Karachi peace talks held by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The leaders of PWC also condemned America for its plan to attack Syria.

PWC leaders demanded that state-owned organizations including PIA and Steel Mill should not be privatized. They asked the federal government to issue minimum wages notification and restore all workers sacked from PTCL, KESC and other privatized corporation.